Greycliff: The curse of the ‘cliff

Located across Comm Ave from BC’s lower campus, Greycliff Hall is often thought of as No-Man’s Land for an unlucky handful of transfer students, students with the last pick time, and fourth-year housing applicants who were just barely approved.

With a combination of singles and doubles that houses only about 50 students, Greycliff is mysterious to and often misunderstood by BC’s student population.

We spoke to current and former residents and found that most of them actually enjoyed living in the tiny brick building just steps from Brighton Campus.

Surprisingly, the students interviewed agreed that Greycliff is a cozy haven separate from the chaos of campus life.

Michelle Vu, a senior who lived there last year, says the ability to have your own privacy in Greycliff was “better than sharing a bathroom with a floor of 20 girls like freshmen year or even in an 8-man in Walsh.”

Yes, everyone who had an 8-man in Walsh: it’s possible to prefer Greycliff. Let that sink in.

Another student who lived there last year praised the sense of independence Greycliff allowed her to gain. He said: “It sounds weird, but I had the choice to either complain about it all year and be miserable or try to make something positive out of it.

“It was tough at times when all my friends were in Vandy or Walsh, and I was the one with the ‘Curse of the Cliff,’ but looking back at it, it changed my BC experience in a way that I wouldn’t have considered otherwise.”

The sense of community formed by residents of Greycliff is also a huge plus of living there. One student said: “The best part was actually meeting a few people and becoming really close with them.

We were stuck there over the snow days, etc., so it was nice to have a few people to watch Netflix with when we were stranded.”

A current Greycliff resident, junior Rusty Matthew Resurreccion Cosino, agreed: “There are probably fifty people in this building, and I’m sure I’ve run into each person at least once.”

While non-residents of Greycliff may see the distance from campus as a disadvantage, it’s actually not so bad. Michelle said: “My friends lived in Edmonds and the Mods when I was there, so the walk was super short, just a little more than 5 minutes.”

However, the commute both to class and to hang out with friends is undoubtedly worse in the wintertime, especially with the record-breaking snow we experienced last year. Luckily, Greycliff residents have access to a full kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, oven, and two microwaves – so that they don’t have to trek to Lower in the middle of a blizzard.

Cosino cited two other inconveniences of Greycliff that non-residents may not be aware of, one being the noises that often surround the building morning, noon, and night. He said: “The construction of 2150 Comm Ave literally wakes me up almost every morning, especially since my room is on the side next to the construction.

“Mobs of drunk people, especially on weekends and game days, always scream and run past. Also, the T and loud vehicles make quite the noise as well.”

Greycliff also is one of the few halls that requires keys to open doors instead of a passcode. “If you lose your key, you’re kind of screwed, have to wait for an RA, and pay a lot for a replacement,” Cosino added.

However, none of the above are the worst part about Greycliff, according to another resident; “The worst part was actually saying I lived on Greycliff.

“Sometimes I’d get so embarrassed I’d walk around the block until no one was around to swipe in.

“Greycliff has a major stigma on this campus, and sometimes I gave my own building the BC look away.”

And you thought having to tell people you lived on Newton or CoRo (or both) was bad!

Despite its’ drawbacks, the majority of students surveyed reported they would actually not mind living in Greycliff again.

So, if you find yourself in the unfortunate predicament of having one of the last pick times, worry not: you could be in for an unexpectedly Grey-t experience.